Central Pkwy bike lane near. Parking shifts now.

A significant portion of the long talked about, and often debated, Central Parkway Bike Path, which will eventually provide a protected lane for bike riders from downtown to Clifton, is nearly finished. Today, Monday, the parking lanes begin to shift.

Between 12th Street and Marshall Avenue, the lane immediately adjacent to the curb will be for bikes. The parking lane will shift over.

A contractor for the city will begin installing plastic pylons on Monday that will separate the bike lane from the parking lane. As the pylons are installed, drivers should begin parking outside of them.

The other significant change is the installation of new rush-hour restrictions on some parking during rush hours.

On-street parking will be restricted from 3-6 p.m. on the northbound, or outbound, side Central Parkway between Liberty Street and Brighton Place. These parking restrictions will be in place to help to traffic flow better after the loss of one lane to car traffic because of the bike lane.

The same parking restriction will be in place on the southbound, or in-bound, side of Central Parkway between 7 to 9 a.m also between Brighton Place and Liberty Street. These are the same types of restrictions that have been in place for years Downtown.

Cars parked on the street during these times will be towed.

The concept behind the protected bike path is to create a connector between Downtown, the West End, Over-the-Rhine, University Heights, Clifton, and Northside. The city's Department of Transportation and Engineering has identified these neighborhoods as places with already heavy bike traffic.

The project has had a series of stops and starts. In 2013 it rolled through community councils and online surveys. The bike lanes were approved by the City Council, unanimously, in November of 2013. But then things got complicated.

This spring, some businesses along Central Parkway complained about the loss of parking and diminished traffic flow. Mayor John Cranley, who took office after the council approval, grew concerned and wanted more information. The path was imperiled.

Eventually, Vice Mayor David Mann and the City's Department of Transportation and Engineering came up with a compromise that left the path mostly intact and appeased business concerns. That plan was approved, barely, in late April.

City Councilman Chris Seelbach, who had been the champion of the lane from the beginning, and other proponents of alternate forms of transportation, have pointed to other cities with bike paths that show business improves along the lanes. Businesses, they say, will eventually be thrilled with the changes. So will people who are concerned about the cities traffic problems.